Additional Monetary Benefits for Eligible Military Retirees

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Gary M. Farral submitted the following information.

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) is a Department of Defense (DoD) program that allows some individuals to receive both military retired pay and VA disability compensation.  This dual receipt was prohibited until the CRDP program began on January 1, 2004.  CRDP is a “phase-in” of benefits that gradually restores a retiree’s VA disability offset.  This means that an eligible person’s retired pay will gradually increase each year until the phase-in is complete in January 2014.

Effective January 1, 2005, Veterans rated 100 percent disabled by VA, including those receiving benefits at the 100 percent rate due to individual unemployability (IU), are entitled to full CRDP without being phased in.

Eligibility

To qualify for CRDP, Veterans must have a VA service-connected rating of 50 percent or greater and

  •    be retired from military service based on longevity, including temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) retirees or
  •    be retired under Chapter 61 with 20 or more qualifying years of service or
  •    be retired from National Guard or Reserve service with 20 or more qualifying years and
  •    be eligible to receive retired pay (must be offset by VA payments).

Retirees do not need to apply for this benefit.  Payment is coordinated between VA and the military pay center.

Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is a DoD program that provides tax-free monthly payments to eligible retired Veterans with combat-related disabilities.  With CRSC, Veterans can receive both their military retirement pay and VA disability compensation for disabilities determined by the service department to be combat related.

Eligibility

To qualify for CRSC, Veterans must

  •   be a military retiree.
  •   be entitled to and/or receiving military retired pay.
  •   have a compensable service-connected disability.

In addition, Veterans must be able to provide documentary evidence that their disabilities were the result of one of the following:

  •   training that simulates war (e.g., exercises, field training).
  •   hazardous duty (e.g., flight, diving, parachute duty).
  •   an instrumentality of war (e.g., combat vehicles, weapons).
  •   armed conflict (e.g., gunshot wounds, Purple Heart).

Disabilities related to in-service exposure to hazards (e.g., Agent Orange, Gulf War illnesses, radiation exposure) for which VA awards compensation are considered combat-related for CRSC purposes.

For more information, visit www.defense.gov, or call the toll-free phone number for the Veteran’s branch of service:

Army 1-866-281-3254, www.hrc.army.mil/site/crsc/index.html or e-mail at crsc.info@us.army.mil

Air Force 1-800-616-3775, www.retirees.af.mil/ or email at www.retirees.af.mil/

Navy/Marine Corps 1-877-366-2772, www.donhq.navy.mil/corb/CRSCB/combatrelated.htm or email at DoN_CRSC@navy.mil

Coast Guard 1-202-493-1735, www.uscg.mil/adm1/crsc.asp or email at Cassie.H.Sylvester@uscg.mil.

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